Diamond In The Rough
by tissesxO
Summary: Takes place 5,000 years in the past. Yami has sealed Darkness away forever, killing himself in the process. He leaves everything into the custody of his cousin, Seto. His kingdom, his Millenium Puzzle...and his princess. And Seto can't stand her. AT ALL.


**Chapter 1**

A/N: Thinking of adding a prologue. Okay so this story takes place 5,000 years in the past right after the Pharaoh seals away Zorc with his name. I decided to have the incarnate of Joey in this story because he doesn't have one in the canon (well, there's one in one of the video games but yeah naaaah). His name is Josef but eventually gets nicknamed Joey. Just thought I'd put that in to avoid confusion.

Valon, Rafael and Alister also have their incarnates except I will be using their counterparts names because I have no idea what they're names would've been 5,000 years ago.

Hope you enjoy! :)

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

><p>"Damnation!" Josef cursed as he quickly grabbed a bucket and began to haul out the water that had begun to leak into his small barge. There was nothing he could do to halt the leak for the hole was too large. He would sink soon.<p>

"Well, that's what I get for being a pirate. I get nothing but ill-fortune and misery," he chuckled to himself as he continued to haul.

His work however was forgotten as Josef sailed past a ghastly site. Dead skeletons hanging from a bridge in a rock that jutted from the water. A sign written in heiroglyphics accompanied them. In one swift move, Josef removed the straw hat from his blonde hair and pressed it against his heart in respect to his dead comrades.

"See you soon, boys..."

His almond coloured eyes were drawn away from the grissly sight by the wonders in the background that seemed to stand out to his eyes. It had been so many years. Things seemed different yet strangely familiar. There were more people than usual bustling about on the shoreland. The Nile Valley was plush and green. The waters he sailed on sparkled like sapphires. The gold of the sand that sat beyond the valley, seemed to twinkle at him.

The land was different to when he was last here. Yet somehow the same.

Josef sighed as he felt his weight bringing his small, little barge dragging further down into the water. He would have to get a bigger one. Preferably his own. He looked up, surprised at the number of people scrambling about on the port.

The loud markets. The seductive women. The hard labouring men. The playful children. Eyes heavily lined in kohl. Bracelets of gold and silver tinkling with money purses half full. A stray wanderer scribbling something on steles. The odd slave being bought.

For sure he was in his homeland of Egypt.

* * *

><p>"No, I will not have her..."<p>

The King of Egypt sat lazily on his throne, dismissing all of his royal subjects and his concubines who he had never touched or even thought of using. The only people who remained with him being his ever loyal Sacred Court of the Millenium Items.

Seto sighed, his fingers lightly caressing the Millenium Puzzle he wore around his neck at all times. Today had been an exceptionally tedious day.

"My King, may I have your permission to speak?"

Seto nodded to Isis, kneeling before him with her wise head bowed. Looking up, she pleaded, "Please. You must speak with her. You must-"

"Is it my problem that she refuses to leave her chambers? She's an Amazon. She'll recover soon."

"She is also, by law, your wife."

Seto almost snorted. For weeks, since he became Pharaoh, he had been patient. A month before the Dark One had risen from the depths and taken his cousin, the Pharaoh Yami, a young princess had been escorted from the Amazons of Scythia to be Yami's wife. Nobody, save Yami, had seen her since the day she arrived. Nobody but Yami had been permitted to see her. Not even the servants who prepared her food were allowed to see her face or hear her voice. She had been a secret behind a locked door in Yami's chambers.

Well...they were hers now.

"She would be my wife had she married my cousin and become Queen."

"My Pharaoh," another guardian, by name of Shada, bowed low before Seto and he too asked for permission to speak.

"Our Great King who defeated the Darkness and is now protecting our futures and the destiny of mankind with the secret of his name had every intention on marrying the princess and so it is your duty to marry her. She was brought to Egypt for this very purpose."

Seto scowled, "What's the point of being the Pharaoh if everyone insists on telling me what I should do and what rules to obey?"

Shada bowed.

"Now I know how my cousin felt when he became King..." A faraway tone seemed to glaze over Seto's words. His eyes slowly wandered back to the Millenium Puzzle that lay against his lap. His wfingers tracing it's smooth edges. No one seemed to notice but Isis.

Looking around to the occupants of the room, the Priestess sighed. Karim of the Millenium Scales, Shada of the Millenium Key -the two out of four remaining members of the previous Sacred Court. Illion of the Millenium Eye, Moku of the Millenium Ring -they had been chosen by the items in the aftermath of Seto's coronation. All of them men. Isis couldn't expect any of them to understand Seto's emotions. They were oblivious to them. They could understand the pressures of rebuilding a devastated kingdom. But they couldn't possibly detect the pressures on the heart as well as a woman could.

"If it pleases the Pharaoh," she chose her words carefully. Seto glanced up briefly to listen. "Let everyone else leave the room. I will speak with the King alone on this matter."

Seto heaved a sigh.

'I am becoming quite soft.'

He raised his hand in authority. "Dismissed."

Shada, Karim, Illion and Moku bowed respectfully before their King and removed themselves from the room as quickly as possible. They had full faith the Isis' words would ease the stress their Pharaoh had been under as of late.

Once knowing that their companions were well and truly gone, Seto stood and opted to sit on the gold plated steps leading to the platform his throne rested upon. Removing his cousin's crown from his brow, he flung it to the side. He may be the intelligent, skilled Pharaoh that Yami knew he would be, and the people of Egypt may look to him as one of the gods, but truth be told, he was still human. He felt human. Being Pharaoh didn't make him any different to the Priestess who watched him run his hands through his dark brown hair.

"Isis, it's not the princess that troubles me."

"I know that."

"You know everything."

"Not quite."

Seto looked up to the sky. When the rebuilding of the damaged parts of the palace had begun, Seto wanted to keep the evident hole in the ceiling above the throneroom. It gave him a clear view of the sunlight that illuminated the day and the diamonds set in the veil of darkness when night befell the land. A phenomenal beauty no human hand could marr with mortality. Of course the hole had been rounded into a perfect circle and outlined with gold to keep up appearances but that was okay. So long as it remained to remind Seto of the pristine beauty of nature. And of his Kisara.

Kisara...

He missed her with each day that went past.

And it didn't help when he had the rebuilding of his country to attend to. Seto wasn't used to dealing with his emotions. It just wasn't his thing.

"There's so much pressure," Seto confided, not caring if Isis was listening or not, "Everyone just expects me to make everything better within a day. Thousands of people flock outside the palace to present to me their small little problems and they just don't understand that I have more important matters to address. They act like I'm a god!"

"That's what we've all taught ourselves to be for generations."

"I know. But I'm just...human!"

Isis smiled sympathetically at her king. He was such a strong leader. He ruled with power, justice and wisdom and the people loved and respected him like a god. But underneath all that, he was a man after all and more importantly, her friend. And she would help her friend all the days of her life. Especially the areas in his life that involved women and love.

"It's quite obvious, the pressures of the kingdom are not the only worries troubling your mind," she said.

"Then tell me, what else is?"

"I hear tales of a great beast who purges the land of darkness with light," Isis placed her hand against her Millenium Necklace, drawing her to past events she had not been physically present, "And wherever this beast lurks, a young woman with eyes as blue as the sky and skin as white as snow abounds. The white rose who grew from the desert. You loved her greatly did you not?"

Seto's eyes narrowed. The picture Isis had created of Kisara brought back so many painful memories. Guilt filled him from the deepest part of his heart and overwhelmed him when he remembered he couldn't protect her.

'And we all know what that led to...'

"You know, I'm not even sure what that word means."

Isis sighed, "Then perhaps you cared for her deeply."

"And look at how amazingly well I did to show her that care."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Of course it was! I am the master of my own fate! Not my father!"

Isis jumped as Seto shouted and slammed his Millenium Rod against the golden floor. It's clatter rang throughout the room and Isis placed a hand on Seto's shoulder.

"If you are to rule Egypt wisely, you must learn to forgive yourself. You cannot change the past so there is no need to worry about it. Time moves on still and you must allow it to take you away."

Seto looked up at Isis and for the first time in her life, she witnessed a flash of sadness pass through his eyes. "I don't think I can ever forgive myself."

"You must."

"Why?"

"Because your kingdom depends on you for strength and courage. If you're ruling it with a shaky hand because the memories of the past haunt your sleep, then the people will become uneasy and lose faith." Isis pointed to the Millenium puzzle that hung from Seto's neck, "Your cousin will begin to fear that perhaps he made the wrong decision and that not only will his kingdom suffer but so too will the princess who still rises and sleeps in his chamber for she is not loved or cared for in his absence."

"I hate it when anyone else is right."

Isis smiled again and Seto sighed.

"Alright, send for her."

* * *

><p>"Princess?"<p>

"What is it?" A strong, female voice barked through the door. Shada almost hit his head against the hard mahogany of the door at the sharpness of the princess's voice. Sometimes, he forgot that she was a princess of the Amazons. Strong, graceful yet feral creatures, the Amazons were warrior women who lived in the lush plains of Scythia. They loved war more than anything and reminded one of the Spartans of the barbaric Grecian tribes. Of course, their princess would be a woman of wild nature.

'Poor girl,' Shada thought, 'she must be suffocating within those chambers day and night.'

"The Pharaoh wishes to see you."

"Ha," Shada heard the princess scoff, "And what makes His Royal Highness think I'll see him? Pompous bastard. My Yami is gone. I will not accept substitute."

Shada almost chuckled. Not too long ago, Seto was saying a similar sentence. Except the princess used much more vulgar language in her version. "Most High Princess, the Pharaoh does not wish to speak to you in terms of intimacy. He merely wishes to acknowledge your presence and attend to whatever needs you may have."

"So why are you the one telling me this? You may tell the King that I am in no will to acquiesce to his wishes and if he wishes to see me, he may kick down my door and make it known himself."

"She said that?"

"Every word, my King."

Seto had had a lot of things said to him from the time he had joined the Sacred Court. But because he had been friends with Yami since childhood and also the High Priest as a member of the Sacred Court, no one had dared to say anything that would mean disrespect to him. Everyone feared for their lives. And now that he was Pharaoh, this insolent princess from some delusioned tribe of women dared to bring dishonour to his name and shame him before his subjects.

"Well, we'll see about that!"

* * *

><p>Princess Cassini lay on her bed, her grey eyes burning with rage.<p>

She was angry.

No, she was more than angry.

More than furious.

She was livid.

Her fingers clutched the diamond coin that her sister's had given to her as a dowry.

_This was all her sisters' fault._

There was nothing like her diamond coin in the world. It was a trinket that was meant to protect her. All Amazons were given one. The diamond coin was also a symbol that she was a rarity and her husband was to treat her so.

"Ha," Cassini muttered sarcastically to herself as her grip tightened. "Not that there is a husband to treat me like a rarity any longer."

Her life had been a nightmare ever since she came to Egypt.

Sure she had a few moments with Yami, the man whom she had originally been intended for.

He was charming, handsome and intelligent and she knew something above political alliance could have existed between them. He had said so himself when they had spent the night together, talking about everything. But since that night, everything had turned out disastrous.

For her own safety, Yami had hidden her away in his chambers with a promise to keep her safe and a quick kiss to her brow. A spell had been cast over the rooms she occupied to keep from destruction.

Amazons were free spirited women. Confinement was a nightmare.

It was almost as bad as suffocating.

Shortly after, Yami sealed darkness away forever, killing himself in the process and leaving her without a husband.

And then his chosen successor, his cousin, demands her presence as if he were summoning some common slave.

'I'll show him.' She thought with rage in her heart. She didn't know why, but for some reason she didn't like Yami's cousin though she had never met him before. 'How dare he send for me like that? Yami would've never-'

A knock interrupted her thoughts.

"WHAT?" Cassini barked again, thinking it was a mere servant bringing her food.

She was answered by a hole being kicked into her door, followed by it's overall demise when it was completely kicked down. Cassini scowled at the figure who stood in her doorway. There could be no mistake. The tall man dressed in linen with a jewelled collar, golden sandals and the ceremonial headdress that only Pharaoh's wore was no doubt the King. She assumed he was bald for the headdress he wore completely covered his head and had to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter.

Seto frowned angrily, "Does me kicking down your door like you requested amuse you?"

"No," Cassini retorted, now unable to contain herself, "You thinking that you can just walk in here and expect me to bend over and do whatever you say amuses me."

"Princess Cassini, if I am not mistaken, I am the King. And as King, I have the right to command you to do whatever I say and any refusals you provide to prevent yourself in doing so will lead to your permanent removal."

Cassini snorted, flipping her black, wavy hair over her shoulder, "As if. I bet you couldn't even excecute a common thief for stealing even if he stole from you repeatedly for all of eternity."

Seto's eyes narrowed. In his heart of hearts, he knew there was some truth to her statement but he refused to admit it. He was the King. He could excecute as he pleased.

"Such arrogance and disrespect will not be tolerated."

"Well, I'm not exactly your wife. Neither am I your servant. I'm not even your subject. So, I think that kind of shot your dragon in the face."

Seto glared at Cassini who was quickly becoming the most insolent woman he had ever met in his life. She matched his glare with one of her own, as if she was as powerful as he. As if she were not afraid of him. As if she were his...equal.

* * *

><p>"Women are crazy!"<p>

Isis smiled. "Correction, you think the princess is."

"She is! I swear to the all the gods and on my cousin's sacrifice that she is."

Shada almost chuckled at the redness on Seto's cheeks. He had never seen his friend so red in his life. Perhaps, it was from his rage. "I think you sort of like it."

"Pah, as if I would like anything attributed to that...that...animal! She threw a table at me!"

Karim raised a brow. "Really?"

"Yes!"

"Extraordinary," Isis remarked. "She will make a strong queen."

"No!" Seto remained resistent. "There is no way in any Realm she will be queen. Let alone mine. Send her back to her people for all I care. Just get her out of my palace!"

"Your Majesty," Isis bowed respectfully, "You've only met her but one time."

"Yes, and my first instincts on a person are never wrong! She's insane. Get her out!"

"I-"

"I want her out, Isis. OUT!"

"Your Maj-"

"OUT!"

"Seto!"

The use of his private name shut Seto up long enough for him to listen to Isis. "Listen to me. Queens are important for one reason and one reason only. To bear children. Children mean-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. They mean the continuation of my lineage and of my cousin's legacy. What's your point?"

"My point is that a child will also mean the safety of Egypt."

"In that case, I could have a child with any woman I wanted."

"NO! No, you cannot!"

"Why not?"

"Look, in the ancient days, Pharaohs usually married their sisters, half-sisters or stepmothers because they were considered to be divine. To keep divinity within the family, of course you would have to marry into your own family and ensure it's stronghold forever."

"My uncle married a woman who did not belong to this world."

"Spreads the legend. He actually abolished this rule and made a new law to marry princesses from great nations or tribes. Your aunt was a Princess from Scythia, same as your cousin's intended. An Amazon. He couldn't have wished for a better bride."

"So why can't I just abolish his law."

"Because unlike you, your uncle had a reason to. He only had a brother. There were no other women in the family and so obviously he was going to have to venture out into the world to find his bride."

"Then why not any other princess?"

"Because the Amazon princess will produce a strong, healthy heir. The child will possess your supremacy in all areas of intelligence and wit and her ferocity and great strength. Also, unlike most princesses I have met or have heard of, she will be able to protect the child herself should calamity befall you."

Seto remained unconvinced. Isis consulted her Necklace, "All Amazons carry an item. Soemthing they will never let go of even if their life depended on it. This item wards off evil charms and protects them from magic. She couldn't be touched as long as her sword and her item is with her. According to my Necklace, it appears to be a ring."

"You're just saying that because it's convenient. She's here already and I wouldn't have to go and search for a new bride."

"Precisely."

Seto looked at Shada and Karim, his friends from childhood. They both nodded in agreement with Isis. They who knew him best of all.

"I don't care. I'm still not convinced."

"Of course not. But in due time, Your Majesty. In due time. Until then, please, we have other matters to discuss."

"Ah yes, the building of my cousin's tomb." Seto's eyes softened as he focused on the memory of his cousin, "I want to ensure that his memory is never forgotten. But his name..."

* * *

><p><em>"You lose, Dartz."<em>

The words of the Amazon Queens, Hippolyta and Penthiselea, rang through his ears. He should've kept them alive. Given enough time and torture, they would've told him. But damn his impatience. It had been 5,000 years of existing but even still, the rein of patience for smaller things seemed to escape him.

_"We sent her away. To a place where you will never reach her."_

It was half true. There was not a place in the world he couldn't reach. But despite is efforts, the Amazon Princess seemed to elude him. No one knew where she was. But that wasn't a surprise.

All Amazon's carried a trinket that shielded them from anything of supernatural means.

And Dartz knew full well of the trinket that Princess Cassini of the Amazons held. It had no real power in it. Except when it was with 422 other identical pieces. It could lift the curse.

Not his.

The curse that hindered his minions from exercising the full extent of their power.

Rafael. Valon. Alister.

With their strong Ka, they were like works of art.

Dartz recalled, once again, the Amazon Queens.

_"She will sense you when you come for her and she will elude you every step of the way."_

Amazons were so dramatic in his opinion. So depressing at times. They were all willing to die to protect this one princess who so happened to hold a powerful relic. One that he needed. Never mind that he had completely destroyed their strongest tribes and captured their souls to revive his beast.

_"And even if you do manage to find her. He will defend her and defeat you. If not forever but at least, for now."_

A sickening smile crept upon Dartz lips as he remembered the slow, torturous death he had saved especially for the twin Queens of the Amazon. He would enjoy telling their younger sister of their groans of despair as the life sapped away from them when he finally met her.

And then the new Pharaoh.

Dartz pressed a finger against the Orichaolcos medallion he wore about his neck. The Pharaoh before possessed the strongest Ka Dartz had ever seen.

However, rumour had it that the new Pharaoh had not inherited a kingdom at his cousin's death, but also a most powerful guardian who could expel the shadows with a single burst of light. The Egyptians called it the White Dragon.

A strong Ka indeed.

Once again, Dartz smiled. He couldn't wait to meet this new Pharaoh.

But first things first.

"I have a diamond to claim from a certain princess."

* * *

><p>Well that's chapter 1! Please let me know what you think and if you see anything I could improve on or omit.<p>

Thanks for viewing. R&R :) x


End file.
